Archive for August, 2012

So here I was, thinking I’m the first person in the world to create a western omelet baked into a stuffed pepper. I was so excited to share this… until I got the reality check that, oh wait, this is pretty much quiche without the crust and surely somebody has connected the words eggs and stuffedpeppers. Fail for me then. Oh well, at least I tried. In my defense though, my family never thought to eat eggs like this, so they misled me into thinking that I was a creative little cook. Even though my head is now deflated, I can still say that the stuffed eggs came out cute 🙂

Now for this recipe, I used small bell peppers because that is the only size my garden is producing. If you’re using larger ones, just crack in a few more eggs and bake a little longer until the eggs set. Of course, you can also fill the peppers with other fillings. Since I was using bell peppers, I thought I’d go for a western omelet theme.

Western Omelet Stuffed Peppers

(Makes 3)

Ingredients:

3 and 1/2 mini bell peppers

3 eggs

1/4 onion

ham

water

shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 and spray a baking pan with cooking oil. With 3 whole mini bell peppers, cut off the tops and deseed. If the peppers cannot stand up straight on their own, cut off a small portion at the bottom in order to make a flat surface. Place the bell peppers on the baking pan and spray the outsides with cooking oil. In a bowl, scramble 3 eggs. Transfer the eggs to into each pepper, filling each one up half way. Chop up the remaining half pepper, onion, and ham. Place the desired amount of filling into each bell pepper. Top with any remaining egg. If there is still a lot of space in the pepper, add in more filling or fill with water (milk is also fine) until you’re mixture is about a 1/4 inch away from the rim of the peppers. With a small fork, gently swirl your egg mixture a few times. Transfer the peppers to the oven for 40 minutes. Afterward, add the desired amount of shredded cheese to the top and place in the oven until melted. Let the peppers sit and set about 5 minutes before serving.

Shakshuka is a traditional Middle Eastern dish that’s composed of a sauce topped with poached eggs. Normally, it’s a breakfast dish, but I served mine at dinner since I am one of those people who need to have breakfast first thing in the morning. I loaded mine with a lot of peppers as my garden is currently overflowing with them. If you want the eggs more visible than mine, just refrain from using all the juice from the canned tomatoes. I happen to love sauce, so I really didn’t mind.

Shakshuka

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 sweet pepper, chopped

1 (28 oz) can whole plum tomatoes

1 fresh tomato, chopped

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 and 1/2 tsp hot sauce

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp parsley

4 eggs

Optional: bread

Directions:

In a deep skillet, heat oil. Cook onions and peppers for 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add in canned and fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Break up the canned tomatoes and let mixture simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in parsley. In a bowl, crack an egg. Gently transfer the egg on top of the pepper sauce. Repeat for the remaining eggs. Afterwards, cover with a lid and cook until the eggs are cooked, about 6 minutes. If desired, serve bread on the side to dunk in the yolk and pepper sauce.

Well, this looks like the end of the zucchini from my garden. Tragically, I came back from vacation and found that they were all dead. Sigh. At least my mom can still pick some up from her co-op. On the plus side though, my bell peppers are growing like crazy. Guess I know what I’ll be playing with next 😉 So, to conclude my zucchini creations…

Sautéed Zucchini and Corn

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic clove, minced

2 medium zucchini, cut into thin coin slices

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 tbsp shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan. Add in the onions and garlic cloves and sauté for 5 minutes. Add in the zucchini, oregano, and garlic powder. Set heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook, tossing every so often, until the zucchini has softened, about 15 minutes. Add in the corn and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. Turn off heat and mix in cheese until melted. Salt and pepper before serving.

Ok, I lied. So it’s not endless, but it sure makes a heck of a lot. And that’s saying something because my family can polish off your average container of guacamole within 5 minutes. Which is why I love this recipe. Not only does it make a lot, but only uses 1 avocado. How is this possible? With a secret ingredient: pureed cannellini beans! For all those who are wary, you can’t taste or see them at all. Plus, you get a huge dosage of fiber. It’s so filling, in fact, that you can eat it alone as part of a lunch or dinner. Double the recipe and you’re guaranteed leftovers. What’s not to love?

Just a quick side note though: I have only tried using cannellini beans, so I can’t vouch for any other white bean. I, personally, hate and can detect chickpeas every time they’re used. So experiment at your own risk!

Endless Guacamole

Ingredients:

1 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 avocado

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 onion, diced

3 tbsp cilantro

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 roasted red pepper, diced

red pepper flakes, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mash the cannellini beans with a potato masher. Add and mix in the avocado until smooth. Add and stir in the rest of ingredients. Serve with chips, cut-up veggies, or my favorite way, with a spoon.

Currently, I am on vacation in Ocean City, NJ. As a result, I won’t be doing much cooking this week. Fear not, though! I was still able to whip this up as it only requires a few ingredients. It’s a quick and easy recipe that’s great for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Baked Bananas

Ingredients:

bananas

nut butter of choice

cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice each banana in half horizontally. Then, slice in half vertically. Thinly spread each quarter with nut butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon (I heavily coat mine). Place bananas in a baking pan or dish lined with tin foil. With additional tin foil, create a small “tent” over the bananas so that they are completely covered. Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until nice and mushy.